Cost differences between gas tankless water heaters and electric

It was thought for a long time that gas tankless water heaters were cheaper to operate than electric ones. One of the main reasons for this is that the price of natural gas is rising at a much higher rate then the cost of electricity. Natural gas has become the standard for so many people that the resource is being used at an incredible rate making supplies potentially dangerously depleted. Another argument made by people is that the efficiency at which power plants operate that produces the electricity we use. The fact that power plants are now almost fifty percent more efficient makes electric tankless water heaters more attractive.  Currently natural gas tankless water heaters may cost less in operating expenses but since the life span of a tankless heater can be over 20 years, the natural gas heaters may not always be less expensive to operate.

If you are planning on adding a natural gas tankless water heater to an older house there are some things you should take into consideration.  Any time you are dealing with high BTU rated gas you must have proper venting and you might have to have a special high volume gas line run to your house which can add to the initial cost of the water heater upgrade. Natural gas tankless water heaters are usually placed on the outside of the house. This can cause problems if you live in a cold climate and may have to take extra measures to make this work. It is much more difficult to add a gas version than an electric version.  Also because of this extra ventilation can take up considerable room causing you to loose precious square footage.

Another thing to consider is the efficiency ratings on natural gas tankless water heaters.  It’s good to keep in mind that natural gas tankless makers tend to advertise much higher gallons per minute flow. The key factor to remember when looking at gallons per minute is that the temperature of the water can only be heated by fifty degrees. Let’s look at this example. Pretend that you have your source water at the temperature of fifty five degrees so the most you could increase the water temperature to would be 105 degrees which is not considered “hot” water.  You should also factor in that you will loose temperature from the source of the natural gas tankless water heater to your sink or shower because of the water pipes. Let’s go back to something I said earlier. Remember when I said that hypothetically your water started out at fifty five degrees? Well if you live in a cold climate then your input water is going to start out cooler increasing this problem.

The main problem with electric tankless water heater is that then cannot put out the volume of hot water than a natural gas tankless water heater can.  There are some solutions out there though that make it possible to heat a large home with large requirements for hot water with out going the gas route. The answer to this problem is installing tandem tankless water heaters. That’s right, two electric tankless units working together to give you all the hot water you need with out having to pay to heat a tank of water constantly even when you are not using it.

As you can see there are many things to consider when deciding if a natural gas tankless water heater is the best option your you. Hopefully this article has touched on a few points that you have not thought of before. If your decision point is on cost at this very moment then perhaps the natural gas tankless water heater is the best option for you.

The Bosch AquaStar 2700ES is at the top of the product line. This Bosch tankless water heater is powered by natural gas. This unit is considered a whole house tankless water heater, meaning that it has the capability of instantly supplying your house with instant how water. The AquaStar 2700ES boasts that it can provide 2-3 hot showers all at the same time. In some situations it can cut your utility costs up to 50 percent.

In the middle of the product line is the 1600h Bosch tankless hot water heater. It is also in charge of supplying an entire house with instant hot water and is also powered by natural gas. It cannot produce as much hot water at the Aquastar 2700 but this does not mean it is a slouch by any means. The Bosch 1600h tankless water heater is still capable of heating just over 4 gallons of water per minute. A great feature of this Bosch tankless water heater is that it does not require a pilot light, which means that you save even more. The Bosh 1600h also comes with a twelve-year warranty on the heat exchanger.

The Bosch 100p tankless water heater is one of the smallest models offered by the company. These compact devices also run on natural gas or liquid propane and are intended for smaller dwellings that require less quantity of hot water. Often you might see the Bosch 100p tankless water heater installed in quant cottages or summer camps. Unlike the Bosch 1600 tankless hot water heater this unit does require a standing pilot. Bosch also protects the 100p tankless water heater with a twelve-year warranty of the heat exchanger.

Incase you don’t have access to either natural gas or liquid propane to power your water heater than Bosch offers an electric tankless water heater. The Bosch PowerStar AE125 tankless water heater can provide almost four gallons per minute. To give you an idea of how much water this is, it is about the usage of 2 faucets simultaneously or one bath or shower. It is important to check with you power company to see if they charge extra for drawing large amounts of electricity at once as this can drive up operating costs dramatically.

If you are in the market for point of use tankless water heater than Bosch has two lines to choose from depending on how hot you want your water and how much water is required. Bosch offers an Ariston and PowerStar line. Each of these Bosch tankless water heaters are very small in size and are intended to be mounted in small spaces. Often they are mounted in the cabinet under the sink.

Bosch tankless water heaters should be on your list of brands to consider. They have been providing quality tankless water heaters to Europe and Japan for years and have now started to carve out a decent market share in the US. As always its best to do your research and find out exactly what Bosch tankless water heater is right for you.

Tankless hot water heaters are powered usually with two main power sources. Most of these devices are either powered from an electrical outlet or by natural gas. In general the larger devices such as whole house tankless water heaters are powered by natural gas. The smaller point of use tankless water heaters tends to be powered by electricity.

When shopping for electric models is always a good idea to look at what manufactures refer to as temperature rise. Also, it is important to know the temperature of your water coming into your house. It is standard these days to have hot water to be outputted at 120 degrees. So if your incoming water temperature is 40 degrees and the electric tankless water heater has a temperature rise of 60 degrees than your water will not be hot enough at 100 degrees.

Whole house tankless water heaters are very popular option for new construction. These devices are responsible for delivering hot water to the entire home. These on demand water heaters are really quite impressive because of their ability to deliver instant hot water to multiple places within the house all at the same time. Let’s imagine this scenario. Your wife is taking a shower in the master suite upstairs. Your daughter is taking a shower downstairs. You are washing your hands in the utility room. All the while the dishwasher is running and everyone is instantly supplied with hot water without getting the shock of a cold shower. Of course for these whole house tankless water heaters to operate correctly it is very important to calculate how much water could be in use at one given time. You should really evaluate your showers as showerheads can consume a huge amount of water. It’s never a bad idea to look into purchasing a showerhead that is meant to conserve water. If you have a large house with many requirements for hot water at one time it may require that you install multiple whole house tankless water heaters to ensure that everybody gets hot water when they need it. Keep in mind that household tankless water hot heaters are more expensive and can cost upwards of a couple thousand dollars.

If for some reason you do not have access to natural gas then you may need to go with an electric version of the whole house tankless water heater. You may need to make some special accommodations by installing circuit breakers that are meant to handle such a load and beefed up wiring as well. This is because electric versions can draw up to 120 amps of power, which can overload the typical electrical panels.

Point of use tankless water heater is the other main device used today. These on demand water heaters are usually used to heat water for one device. For instance, one might be hooked up to a faucet in a bathroom on one end of the house. These units are almost always powered by electricity and usually have a much smaller capacity for heating water. The great thing about point of use tankless water heaters is that they are small in size they can fit in small places like under sink cabinets. Another great thing is that these devices are only a couple hundred dollars. Keep in mind that the cost can jump quickly if you have to pay a professional to do the install for you.

Another important factor to look at when deciding on a tankless hot water heater is the operational cost. It is well known that on demand water heaters average 10 to 20 percent less cost. However, that is not the only thing to consider. The tankless water heaters all have different operating costs associated with them depending on the brand type and model. Also don’t forget to factor in the life span of the hot water heater. Tankless hot water heaters are known to have a much longer life span than then their older tank cousins. It is not uncommon for an on demand water heater to last almost double the amount of time of a standard unit. This makes it much easier to recover from the relatively high upfront cost.

As you can see there are quite a few factors that are involved when looking at the potential cost savings of a tankless water heater. I suggest looking locally first and have a professional answer any questions you might have. Once you have all the info you need and know what model is going to be best for your house then start shopping online for better deals on tankless water heaters.

If you thought that electric tankless hot water heaters were only for new construction than you would be wrong. These high tech water heaters are great for remodels as well, especially since the size of the on demand water heaters is perfect for sticking into nooks and crannies.

It is important to figure out the demands of hot water from your house. If you have a high demand for hot water then perhaps you should consider some plumbing changes or have or install multiple units. If you have lower need for hot water than you want to look at the lower capacity units that can be powered by either gas or electric. It is also important to consider climate you are living in. The job of the tankless water heater is made much easier if the outside water is already at a warm temperature.

You have ruled out electric tankless water heaters because you think that they will not produce the needed amount of hot water. Well, you may want to rethink the use of electric powered on demand water heaters for a backup to a solar power system or perhaps even work in tandem with another source of heated water.

So it’s looking like tankless water heaters are the ultimate answer. Unfortunately they do have their limitations. If you have multiple people taking showers at the same time then this can cause a tankless water heater to not be able to produce enough hot water resulting in the dreaded cold shower. If you are a big bath person then you may have to fill the tube slowly so that you can allow the tankless water heater to catch up.

Maybe whole house tankless water heaters are not a solution for your house project; don’t rule out the smaller point of use tankless water heaters. These can be very helpful at saving water and of course giving you instant access to hot water. These small electric powered units work great when they are attached to remote areas of the house. It is not uncommon for point of use tankless water heaters to be placed on washing machines and bathroom sinks.

Unfortunately it’s not all gravy when it comes to the cost of operating. Be sure and do some research to find out if the company who supplies your electric power charges extra for electric on demand for the electric tankless water heater. A quick call to the power company should be able to clear this up.

It is always a good idea to check what local codes exist for such devices in your area. It is pertinent that you find out if you are required by law to have a pressure/temperature relief valve. This can very state by state and even by city. If you are using a gas powered tankless water heater then it is also a good idea to find out if there are laws about how you vent the gas exhaust.

As you can see both gas and electric tankless water heaters have their place. Utimatly it’s up to you, both are good options.

So what exactly are tankless water heaters? They are small devices that allow you to have hot water instantly without having to heat water constantly in a big tank. As you can imagine this can save you on your energy bill, as you do not have to heat water constantly, just when you need it. When a person wishes to have hot water, they turn the faucet to hot. Meanwhile, the tankless water heater detects that water is flowing and that it is supposed to be hot. The device then quickly heats the water to the desired temperature through the help of a thermostat.

It’s hard not to be environmentally friendly these days. It’s even harder to ignore something that is beneficial to the environment and on your pocketbook. Although these on demand water solutions are more expensive upfront they can certainly save you some green in the long run. Not only do people want to be environmentally friendly but also the rising energy costs are a big motivator for people to cut down on their consumption. This makes the tankless water heater a great solution for saving energy consumption. Since the tankless units do not have to keep a huge volume of water constantly heated it is able to reduce water bills by ten to twenty percent, which can defiantly add up quickly since up to 15 percent of homes energy expense is solely heating water. You can start making vaction plans with all the money you save.

Tankless water heaters come in a wide variety which can make the decision much more difficult. There are ten or so major brands that manufacture these devices with some smaller companies rounding out the bunch. Some of the better-known water heaters include:

Stiebel Eltron USA
Rheem Manufacturing
Sets Systems, Inc.
Eemax, Inc.
Noritz America Corp.
Takagi Industrial Co.
Bosch USA
Bradford White Corp.
Paloma Industries
Chronomite Laboratories Inc.

Tankless water heaters can be used in many different configurations and usually are available in both gas and electric versions. For the most part, you can expect the gas versions to be able to deliver larger amounts of hot water to the household than the electric counterpart. It is important to evaluate the amount of hot water that is required as this will help with the decision between gas and electric. These devices can be used to supple an entire household with hot water or can be installed as standalone units that just heat a singular sink. Another way tankless water heaters are often used is for adding some extra kick to a standard water heating system.

As you can see, Tankless water heaters are becoming very popular options for people looking to save money on their energy bill and wanting to help the environment. Yet another great reason for upgrading your home to one of these on demand water heating systems is that the life of the device can be as much as 25 years. Tankless water heaters can almost double the expected life span of a standard water heater. People are also making the switch because they are less prone to leakage. The last thing you want to deal with is water damage caused by your water heater tank.

If any of you would like more information on tankless water heater, please feel free to let us know. Thanks again for the visit and make sure to check back often to receive additional information on tankless water heaters.